There’s been a lot of negative rhetoric about immigration lately and it’s got a lot of people worried about the future of immigration in this country. Will comprehensive immigration reform ever become a reality? Will EB3 backlogs ever be addressed? Will ICE raids continue? So many questions and so much uncertainty – like we need more uncertainty in today’s economy.
Fortunately, the situation is not as gloomy as you might think.
Comprehensive Immigration Reform is still a ways off, but grassroots efforts to keep this on President Obama’s agenda continue, and, if anything, appear to be increasing. At the forefront of this campaign is Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) who has organized 17 immigration rallies across the country and has support from both Religious Leaders and fellow Members of Congress. To learn more about what Congressman Gutierrez is doing to advance the cause of immigration reform, or to become involved in his efforts, you can visit his website at luisgutierrez.house.gov or contact his office at (202) 225-8203.
Immigration lawyers and other immigration advocates also continue to work diligently to push this issue to the top of the congressional agenda. The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) has organized a National Day of Action for this coming Thursday, March 19. On that day your immigration lawyers and other immigration advocates will be contacting both local and national congressional offices to educate them on the complexities of immigration law and policy and the need for immigration reform.
Efforts also continue to reduce or eliminate EB3 backlogs, both for EB3 applicants generally and for nurses specifically. Legislation has also been introduced which would create a new nonimmigrant visa category for nurses. If passed, this legislation would significantly ease the hardship suffered by both nurses and the healthcare industry as a result of the EB3 backlog.
On the subject of ICE raids, one of the first acts of the Obama administration was to launch an investigation into these raids and the policies behind them. This investigation is ongoing. Just two weeks ago DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano testified before Congress indicating that the focus of ICE activities should be to protect immigrant workers from exploitation, not to deport them. Just a week ago, a report was published concluding that ICE’s efforts to involve state and local law enforcement in ICE’s immigration enforcement activities is being abused by ICE and the report recommends that the program be terminated.
These are only a few of the myriad ongoing efforts to advocate positive change, keep families together, and fix our broken immigration system. These efforts, as well as their largely-positive results, don’t always make the news, but they are happening and will continue to happen. Immigration Reform is still alive and well.
Attorney Franklin W. Nelson obtained both his Bachelor's Degree in Economics and his Juris Doctorate Degree from the University of Southern California. He has been practicing law since 1990 and immigration law since 1994. A member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the Los Angeles County Bar Association, and the American Bar Association, Mr. Nelson is admitted to practice before all courts in the State of California, the United States District Courts for the Northern, Central, and Eastern Districts of California, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the United States Supreme Court.
Published in Asian Journal, Saturday, March 14, 2009
